The winners in various categories of the 2023/24 Equus Awards were announced in Cape Town on Thursday evening. It’s a forum to take stock of what constitutes thoroughbred excellence in South Africa. The panel uses various criteria to distinguish between the nominees and preserve for posterity the achievements of the elite.

As regular readers of this newsletter well know, my preferred way of measuring performance is through speed and pace figures. Here are the corresponding speed scores (with sectional/pace upgrades included) of each winner. Notable figs obtained earlier in the season are listed first, followed by more recent numbers:

2-year-old filly    Quid Pro Quo – 96 & 98.

2-year-old colt    Proceed – 96 + & 95 +.

3-year-old filly    Gimme a Nother – 112 & 110 & 106 ++.

3-year-old colt    Green With Envy – 103 ++ & 113.

Sprinter             Thunderstruck – 111 & 109.

Miler                  Charles Dickens – 120 & 117 & 121.

Mid Distance       Royal Victory – 105 & 106.

Stayer               Master Redoute – 107 & 108.

Older Female      Princess Calla – 111 & 116.

Older Male          Dave the King – 111 & 111 & 113.

Horse of the Year Dave the King – 111 & 111 & 113.

That’s what it takes to be at the apex of the pyramid in modern SA horseracing. As horses mature and reach their full powers their scores get higher. When they suffer an injury or fail to train on, that will be reflected in stagnant or declining numbers.

To win a Grade 1 as an older horse in the lower range as say, Royal Victory managed, requires a minimum score of around 106. SA’s true stars exceed 111, so when three-year-olds like Gimme a Nother and Green With Envy are hitting 112’s and 113’s already, they are poised to become shining gems. With expected, healthy development they might soon rate as rare, high- class champs once moving into the 116 + realm.

In terms of the ratings, Charles Dickens comes out top on my scale. A couple of his runs over a mile (s/s 120 and s/s 121) were up to true international level. He is quirky – both a difficult to train and awkward- to- ride character. But when everything fell ideally into place in his prep and on race-day, he delivered outstanding performances.

Loud applause for all the winners! And let’s roll on into the new season to appreciate the next batch of equine celebs!